CELEBRATING LATINA LEADERS INTERVIEWS – March 2025
Rosa Tock, Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs
To celebrate Latina leaders this month, we reached out to Latina business owners and nonprofit leaders to ask about challenges, inspirations, and their perspective on what is ahead.
@Rosa Tock serves as Executive Director of the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs. Prior to joining MCLA in 2019, Tock held several key leadership roles in government and nonprofit sectors in both Minnesota and Guatemala.
What has been your biggest challenge in being an Executive Director? How have you overcome this?
The biggest challenge for me, working in state government, is to make the interests of Latine Minnesotans be at the center of policy making decisions so our contributions are acknowledged, and investments are there to close opportunity gaps and reduce inequalities. I have tried to overcome this over the years by building relationships with key decision-makers at the state legislature and government; establishing unity and collaboration with other Latine-led organizations that work in the space of advocacy and public policy; reaching out to Greater Minnesota community leaders, and making sure that we all work in coordination and intentionally so that our voices are amplified, and our interests become more visible. I am glad that in the last decade, Latino leaders, advocates, and organizations have been fighting hard to have a seat at the table and are influencing public policy to benefit our diverse communities.
Who/what inspires you?
My mother, grandmother, and my aunts have always been a great source of inspiration. Their wisdom, intelligence, tact, and how they approach challenges and help others have guided my own work and dedication to public service. What also brings me a source of strength and purpose is the hard work done by the community, and how “ordinary” citizens organize and help each other in times of crises. I only wish that our communities did not have to respond to recurring crises but that we were given a respite once and for all to enjoy el buen vivir that we are all entitled to have without worrying about the systems’ failures. LEDC has been an important part of this Minnesota Latino movement and key in building a stronger ecosystem, particularly as it relates to wealth creation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development in our communities.
What excites you most about the work your organization is doing?
What excites me is the fact that the Council is becoming a relevant agency that is more and more visible in being a bridge between the public at large, Latines in particular, and state government. Our interests need to be at the center of discussions and the role that the Council plays in partnership with other organizations, is crucial more than ever. Our young people will be the future voters, citizens, academics, researchers, politicians, and workers to sustain the economic competitiveness and financial stability of the state, and the environment, in the very near future. We owe them a promising future where they all can thrive and have a sense of belonging.
